This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On September 19, 2019, Kenyan envoy-designate Mwende Mwinzi moved to court to challenge the Kenyan Government's directive requiring her to renounce her American citizenship before being posted to South Korea as an ambassador.
Mwinzi, who was fronted by President Uhuru for the South Korean post, claims that the directive is illegal, null, and void. She argues that the ambassadorial position is not a state office, and therefore, it is not necessary for her to renounce her other citizenship before taking up the job.
Members of parliament had approved Mwinzi's nomination on the condition that she would renounce her US citizenship, citing concerns that her dual citizenship could affect the quality of her work as she pays allegiance to two governments.
However, Mwinzi maintains that it was not her fault to be an American citizen, as she was born and bred in America to a Kenyan father and an American mother, making the decision to be an American citizen beyond her control.
Mwinzi has urged the court to speed up the petition's hearing process, as she risks being posted to South Korea, which she claims would be a violation of her constitutional rights and freedom.
